Innehållsförteckning för January 2021 från Macworld UK

After a whirlwind autumn release schedule that brought two new Apple Watches, four new iPhones, a new HomePod and a speedy new processor for the Mac, Apple analysts Ming-Chi Kuo is looking ahead to 2021. And it could be a huge year. In a report to investors and obtained by Macrumours, Kuo laid out his predictions for several of Apple’s products spreading across all of next year. Among the new releases he expects: iPad: Kuo noted that demand for the iPad Air has been better than expected and Apple looks to continue that momentum into the new year. New Pro models with mini-LED displays as well as 5G modems are expected in the first half of the year, while a new low-priced iPad will likely launch in the second half…

Price: £1,299 from fave.co/3m59RDG For years, it’s been iPhone this, iPhone that. And for good reason. But now, the Mac – the platform that pushed Apple to the forefront of computing – is back in the spotlight. And for good reason. While the Intel years were good for the Mac, Apple needed something to take its computer to the next level. That something now comes in the form of Apple’s own system on a chip (SoC), called the M1. Along with macOS Big Sur (the OS built for the M1), the Mac makes breakthroughs in performance and battery efficiency that were never possible with Intel silicon. This review takes a look at the £1,299 13in MacBook Pro, which has an Apple 8-core M1. This SoC includes 8GB of RAM and…

When you buy a new iPhone, getting it all set up takes minutes. All you need to do is back up your old phone and sign in to your iCloud account on your new phone, and you can pick up right where you left off, home screen layout, open Safari tabs, and all. It’s not quite as simple on the Mac. While Apple offers several ways to transfer files from one machine to another, none of it is as simple as iCloud backups on iOS. But if you know which toggles to flip, apps to sync, and folders to share, it doesn’t have to be so hard. Just follow our guide to getting everything set up on your new Mac. APPLE SERVICES, PASSWORDS AND APPS First the easy stuff. If…

Price: £799 from fave.co/2URCCYp There used to be a theory you should always order the second-cheapest wine on the menu, on the basis that it offers the best balance of value for money and not tasting awful. The second-cheapest wine on Apple’s menu this autumn is the iPhone 12, but is it vintage or has it corked? We evaluate its camera performance, run speed, graphics and battery tests, discuss its new-look design and help you decide if this is right for you. DESIGN Since 2014, every iPhone except one (the original SE) has followed largely the same curvaceous design. But those days are over. The iPhone 12 is simultaneously groundbreaking and old-fashioned. Its square-edged design is strongly reminiscent of the iPhone 4, yet it combines this retro-feeling angular chassis with…

If you’ve bought an iPhone 12, you know all about the new design, display, camera and iOS 14 enhancements, but there’s one new feature you might not have tried yet: MagSafe. Apple’s new charging system doesn’t quite work out of the box – you’ll need to pay for some extra equipment to get it to work. Here’s where you should spend your money. CLEAR CASE WITH MAGSAFE Price: £49 from fave.co/2J9cmWP Should you buy it: If you want to show off your iPhone 12’s natural colour and still keep it in an Apple case, this is your only option. It’s a fine case in that it’s sturdy and should protect your phone from bumps and bruises, but it’s still very hard to remove, very easy to smudge, and has a…

USE YOUR MAC TO GET MORE INFO ABOUT YOUR iCLOUD DRIVE STORAGE While the Files app for iOS and iPadOS gives you access to browse iCloud Drive, some parts of local storage, and third-party cloud storage, it omits a critical piece of information that’s been a useful part of file navigation since the start of computing: the storage occupied by a folder (or directory) and everything contained nested within it. This makes it effectively impossible to figure out what’s occupying your iCloud storage if you need to remove it to make room for other files. Launch the Files app and you can see for yourself. Tap iCloud Drive and any file at the top level is listed with a name, date and size. Folders, however, just tell you how many…

After months of litigation, hard feelings and angry tweets, Apple has announced a major change to its App Store developer programme. Instead of the standard 30 per cent fee that it has collected since the App Store launched in 2008, Apple will now collect just 15 per cent for most of the apps and games sold in the store. The terms of the new programme, which begins on 1 January 2021, are as follows: • Existing developers who made up to $1 million in 2020 for all of their apps, as well as developers new to the App Store, can qualify for the programme and the reduced commission. • If a participating developer surpasses the $1 million threshold, the standard commission rate will apply for the remainder of the year.…

Price: £699 from fave.co/3fA89aO Apple’s bestselling Macs are its laptops, the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro. So it seems logical for Apple to debut its new M1 system on a chip in these machines. But Apple also decided to use the M1 in the Mac mini. Two years after its last update, the Mac mini became the first desktop Mac to sport Apple’s SoC. After having tested the Mac mini (M1), one thing is perfectly clear: at £699, the Mac mini (M1) is a tremendous value. You get so much bang for your buck that it’s a little hard to fathom, especially for anyone who has invested in Mac minis in the past. You expect to make compromises in performance for the price being paid. Not here. Not anymore.…

The first Macs powered by Apple-designed processors are finally here. And from the outside, they’re almost dead ringers for the Intel-based Macs they’re replacing. But on the inside, they’re not like other computers. Apple has brought its approach to system design, learned through years of iteration on the iPhone and iPad, to the Mac for the first time. Those of us who are used to thinking of personal computers in certain terms are going to need to adjust to this new reality. It’s a world in which Apple sells three different Mac models without even disclosing the clock speed of the processor inside. (It doesn’t do it for the iPhone or iPad, after all.) But perhaps the item on the spec sheet that will require the biggest diversion from the…

Price: £1,099 from fave.co/2UPKVUA The iPhone 12 Pro Max is big. Just slightly taller and wider than the iPhone 11 Pro Max (which was already more than a handful), it is most certainly not for those who insist on one-handed operation. If you’re a big phone kind of person, you’ll probably find the Max version of the iPhone 12 Pro to be worth its £1,099 starting price. While its new camera is only a tiny bit better, the expansive display and incredible battery life make it worth every penny of its price premium. DESIGN The iPhone 12 Pro Max is essentially just a larger iPhone 12 Pro. It’s exactly the same phone in the same colours with the same thickness and style, same display, same A14 chip, same LiDAR, same…

Over the past few years wireless charging has gone from novelty concept to being a conventional function of any modern iPhone. We won’t pretend that wireless charging is always an ideal substitute for plugging in, but it’s a very hassle-free way to keep your phone topped off throughout the day. Freed from the bother of plugging and unplugging, a wireless charger on your desk is as good a place as any to set your phone, knowing the battery is being steadily replenished, and ready for your next outing. A wireless charger by your bed makes it easy to grab and go in the morning, or just to ‘check one thing’ without fussing with the lightning cable. We’ve tested a wide range of different wireless chargers. Here are our favourites. AIRPOWER…

If there’s a single disappointment in the release of Apple’s first wave of M1 Macs, it’s the lacklustre launch of iOS apps running inside of macOS. What should be an amazing unification of Apple’s platforms and a massive expansion of the Mac software base is, instead… kind of a non-event. Running iOS apps on the Mac can be a little weird, it’s true. But it can sometimes be good. Unfortunately, a lot of interesting iOS apps just aren’t available at all, because their developers have removed them from the Mac side of the iOS App Store. It’s not a great situation. It needs to get better. Here are some ways that might happen. WHAT APP DEVELOPERS CAN DO Though iOS app developers with the Apple silicon Developer Transition Kit could…

Apple has announced the winners of its second-annual Music Awards. Last year’s inaugural awards were led by Billie Eilish, with a live concert at the Steve Jobs Theater. Thanks to the global COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s awards are not to be honoured in person. Instead, a ‘celebration’ will take place across Apple’s streaming services in December. THIS YEAR’S WINNERS The winners of the second-annual Apple Music awards are as follows. The Top Song of the Year and Top Album of the Year are based on streaming data, but the other three awards are selected by Apple Music’s editorial team. Artist of the year: Lil Baby Breakthrough Artist of the Year: Megan Thee Stallion Songwriter of the Year: Taylor Swift Top Song of the Year: The Box by Roddy Ricch Top…

Macs are undergoing a big change. Apple is switching its internal architecture from one that uses Intel CPUs, third-party graphics processors and other parts, to the company’s own ‘system on a chip’. The first Apple silicon SoC for Macs is called the M1. It’s a big step for Apple and the Mac. But what does it mean for you? In this article, we cover what Apple’s system on a chip means to the user, how it affects what software you can use, and answer other frequently asked questions. WHAT IS THE ‘APPLE SILICON’ M1 SYSTEM ON A CHIP? ‘Apple silicon’ refers to the chips Apple makes. In the Mac, they replace the Intel processors they have used for the past 14 years, and will eventually also replace the AMD graphics…

Apple’s got new Macs with its first-ever custom designed system-on-chip, the M1. We’re getting three new Macs with the chip: a MacBook Air, 13in MacBook Pro and Mac mini. They are available to buy now. Apple’s claims of performance and efficiency are eye-popping, and if even remotely true could be more than enough reason for Mac fans to be excited about Apple’s switch from Intel processors to its own. Yet, we can’t help but feel the company’s entering this new era for the Mac just a little too conservatively. Outside of the M1 processor, these Macs are dead ringers for their predecessors. Here are four ways Apple could have easily made these Macs better, but didn’t. 1. LIGHT UP THE APPLE LOGO Remember when the Apple logo on the…

MagSafe might be an old name to Apple veterans, but it has a whole new purpose. Apple slipped a brand-new charging and modular accessory system into the iPhone 12, resurrecting the charging connector Apple retired when it switched to USB-C charging on the MacBook. But since Apple isn’t including a MagSafe connector or even a compatible power adapter in the iPhone 12 box, you probably have some questions about MagSafe. And depending on where you find the answers, they might not be all that accurate. So forget about what you’ve read: here’s the truth about MagSafe. MYTH: SPEEDS ARE TOO SLOW WITH A THIRD-PARTY CHARGER REALITY: AS LONG AS IT’S 20 WATTS OR HIGHER, IT DOESN’T REALLY MATTER WHICH CHARGER YOU USE Charging is tricky. Depending on the phone you…

Price: £99 from fave.co/39aysmW Apple’s HomePod smart speaker is widely admired – for its attractive design and exceptional audio quality, if not for the sophistication of its smart features – but many potential buyers are put off by its price tag. At £279 the 2018 HomePod is a serious purchase. This year Apple has come up with a solution: a smaller and cheaper mini edition of the HomePod, which costs a vastly more budget-friendly £99. But is this a compromise too far? What corners have been cut to hit that price point? We’ve been trying out a pair of minis for around a week, and our HomePod mini review reports on their design and portability, audio quality, ease of use and smart features. We’ll help you decide if this is…